Category Archives: Witnessing

That verse kept coming to mind this past weekend as I stared at the faces of those in a midst of a literal sea of lost souls this past weekend.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

I thought to myself if they only knew what awaits them or what a Savior has come to deliver them from their sins? If they only could see how much God loves them as to send Christ to suffer and die for them. But many wanted nothing of grace. They gnashed their teeth mocking and hating the Word and the preacher often.

In Jackson Square, I remember vividly seeing this young man with face paint on charge at us and yell, “Hail Satan!” At the same place, some young girl lifted her shirt toward us and called us faggots for covering our eyes. Soon after, a powder keg seemed to have erupted when one preacher mentioned abortion. It struck the nerve of one couple who cursed and yelled enough to have the police arrive. My guess is that the two had killed their child through abortion and the guilt had manifested itself.

Later that night our team of around 150 – 200 soul winners marched onto Bourbon Street singing unto the Lord prepared for battle. As we sung, screams could be heard echoing down the street that made us think of demons screeching. Looking up though, it was just two men pretending to have sex moaning and laughing as we passed by.

Into the night, the crowds increased and the atmosphere worsened. I stood off to myself praying and taking in all that I was seeing. Thinking of Jesus weeping. These are His created beings that were made by Him and for Him. He promises everything that we get that is good, yet they as my pastor notes, “Sits in the lap of God and slaps Him in the face.”

On the ground was an endless litter of broken bottles, trash, human waste, and gospel literature. Before me was a few girls enjoying the attention of perverted men who traded beads for moments of lust with them. On a nearby box sat half emptied containers of beer and liquor. To my utter disgust, I watched a few people come and empty them into other containers and walk off drinking them.

There were moments that left us with knowing God was remaining faithful to gather His sheep. Even though many came here not looking for God, He found them.

As with Saul on the road to Damascus. He was not looking for Jesus, but to kill and imprison those who followed Him. Christ interrupted Saul and the rest is history.

God was working in the midst of the darkness. Ryan was the man who yelled ,”Hail Satan!” He tried to walk off after but I caught his attention and we talked. He apologized and said he was just being silly.

As with so many I encounter, Ryan had a knowledge of God’s existence, but no true knowledge of who God truly is. Ryan told me that he was from Seattle and had hitchhiked and rode train cars to get here. “I am here to get drunk and have sex with as many random woman as I can!” He boasted. That terrified me as I would learn that he also is infected not with just liver cancer, but Hepatitis.

Ryan speaking with some others on our team

It broke my heart to hear his story and understand that if he dies in his sin, hell for all eternity awaited him. I gave him a hug before he walked off and he was okay with that, but when I began to pray for him, he mumbled, “Please don’t.”

The girl flashing us and the couple going irate were used by God as well. The commotion drew a crowd and more opportunity to talk to those standing nearby. A homosexual girl stood next to me watching. In the same manner I engaged her in conversation. There were some turn or preachers that we were not associated with us down the way yelling how much God hates homosexual people and she asked if I love gay people. I replied, “I love liars, thieves, murderers, gay people, etc.” She asked my view point on gay people and I pointed to the bible. How it was sin, that God tells her to turn from her sin, but that He also sent Jesus to die for not just liars and thieves, but homosexuals too. She just shook her head and walked off.

Going to Mardi Gras is not a mission field for everyone. Honestly I could not wait to return home to love on my wife and kids. To breath fresh air and “shine my armor” you could say by spending time alone with God and His word. .To worship with my home church. But now, I am looking forward to next year and seeing the souls the Lord will give me to speak of His great name.

I hope to encourage you my friends that while Mardi Gras may not be for you, tell your friends, co-workers, neighbor’s, everyone you meet about Christ. Don’t live this life having never told others how Christ found you when you weren’t looking and what He did.

Consider that in heaven when you stand before God. If there is anything you could bring to Him to offer as a gift of gratitude, what better gift than to stand humbly before God and point to a multitude of souls behind you and say, “I did as You commanded, these are the souls I told about You.”

The Lord blessed the time greatly this past Saturday in Auburn as they played Georgia. As usual, the opportunities were endless to distribute gospel literature and to declare the glories of God in the open air. I must confess though, It was an early game, it was cold outside, I was tired and wanted to stay home badly. I made a commitment to brother Bill that I would take part in these events, and more importantly, I knew the Lord would glorify His name to some lost sinner. So I continued on.

To give a recap, I live about a 45 minute drive from Auburn Al. That’s what my GPS says. it takes me 1 1/12 though. To get there and to get on my post at Toomer’s Corner. I’m a slow driver and have to park half a mile from my post, so I leave early to get a good start. It make for some good drive time prayer too.

This weekend wasn’t much different that other outreaches, there was the scalpers and brochure girl yelling as usual for people to sell them a ticket and to get a brochure. There were the many who looked at you at if a mosquito had given you a large hicky on your nose as you preached. I had tracts end up on the ground and in the garbage can down from me. But the delight of my entire day was the encouragement the Lord sent my way. Often you may wonder in anyone is listening. Multitudes of people walk by you saying nothing and if you get a response, it is usually just a War Eagle or something you don’t want to repeat to kids.

While preaching through the gospel of John, a man turns around after walking past and places his hand on my arm and bows his head and prays for me. I thank him and off her goes disappearing into the crowd. Later, Randy a brother in Christ from Birmingham who was here with his daughter Olivia come up to me. He said that they had passed by me earlier and heard me preaching and wanted to thank me. We stood there talking about the fate of the sinner and all the Lord has done for us. I shared some tracts with him and told him about SportsFan Outreach International, him in the Lord and to be a bold witness wherever the Lord has him.

Indeed my friend, what a great time in the Lord blessed me with. I had the encouragement of believers, my brother Scott join me for a short while, free pizza by the way from #Pieology that just opened. But what I treasure the most, was the time with the Lord. Preaching & hearing His Word and being reminded not just what He has done for all of mankind, but what He has done to save a wretch like me. This saints is why we take the ridicule, why we suffer the rain and cold, why we proclaim His Word to all that may hear. Because He is worth it. Continue on my friends. Make Him known to all men.

My next outreach is Saturday November 21, 2015 as Auburn plays Idaho. Kickoff is at 4pm. Ministry time is 1:00pm to 4:30pm. Come and join me and the Lord if you can.

“One of these days,” replied the old man with the raspy voice when asked if he was living for the Lord.

On a slow day outside the abortion facility a few days back, I glanced up the road and saw a man smoking on a cigarette walking toward me. He looked vaguely familiar, but with the sunglasses he was wearing, I was not sure if I had met him before. He made his way closer to me and I greeted him with my usual, “Hello my friend.” He returned the greeting and then asked for one of my gospel tracts. By now, I was remembering who he was. His name was Terry. Not the Terry I had mentioned in online post, but another man who frequents the neighborhood walking back and forth to the service station at the top of the hill.

As I gave him the gospel tract he requested, I told him it was the good news of Jesus Christ an asked if he was living for the Lord? With a puff on his cigarette and with his raspy voice, he said, “One of these days.”

“One of the days! Why not today!” I exclaimed. What if you do not get tomorrow? What if today was your last day? Terry displayed absolutely no concern to live for the Lord, and looked away from me and pointed out a gentleman walking toward us, telling me to ask him as he walked off puffing his cigarette.

If I had asked Terry if he believed and feared the Lord, mostly assuredly I would have received a quick yes. But ask Satan himself and the answer too would be no different. My pastor recently noted that if you simply say you believe in God, you have qualified yourself to be a demon. As the book of James states even the “demons believe and they tremble” James 2:19.

One of the points that I simply desire to make is if we truly believe, we will do more than profess, but our life will be different. Get hit by a truck and you will be changed. If God has saved you, there will be a change as well. Most agree that the opposite of “love” is “hate.” Jesus said that ,”If you love Me, keep my commandments” John 14:16. Do you have a longing my friend to keep God’s Commandments?

Again, if you question Satan on if he believes in God and fears him, expect nothing but a yes. Ask him though if he has a desire to do that which please the Lord, by no means does he. And what he says will be proved true by the fruit he produces, as will it be with all who profess Christ. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.” Matthew 7:18

Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He hates God and hates all who belong to Him. He is the very opposite of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our example to follow. He came to do all that pleases the Father. To do the will of Him who sent Him. Jesus was obedient to the Father, even to a criminal’s death on a cross, as it should be with all who bear His name. Philippians 2:8

My other point. Consider who God is and the condition of your soul.

I have a former co-worker that I ran into a few weeks back. We worked together nearly twenty years ago. I left the job and hadn’t seen them since till recently. Now I say I have known them, but in reality, I have only known of them. We worked at the same place, we said hello at the beginning of our shift, but there was no relationship. I didn’t know if they were married with kids, where they lived, etc. There was only a belief of their existence, but no knowledge of who they were.

Quite often this is with God. We live with a belief of His existence. But show no knowledge of who He truly is or of His attributes. He is God and has split time in half to show the crown of His creation how much He loves them. When He should have crushed His enemies and been just in doing so, He showed mercy and made His enemies His friends. He sent Jesus to die this criminals death on a bloody Roman cross as payment for our crimes against Him. This is how God forgives sin. Not by us saying a sinners prayer or simply saying ,”I’m sorry.” Consider that we should be sorry, we’ve sinned / rebelled against a Holy Righteous God!

Oh consider my friend what we deserve and what we have received! Consider all the more what Christ received and what He rightfully deserves! 2 Corinthians 5:21 notes, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” John MacArthur calls the verse the heart of the gospel and sums it us by saying,

“Here God treated Jesus as if He had lived our lives, then turns around and treats Jesus as if He has lived our lives.”

My friend, do not be as Terry was. Do not put off what must be done today for tomorrow. Consider the great King of the universe and what He has done the lowliest of sinners, what He has done for you. Run to Christ, run to His throne, don’t walk. Run to His thrown and know His great mercy. Consider greatly who God is and the condition of your soul. Live a life pleasing to the Lord, a life worthy of the price paid.

I’ve always wanted to be in an elevator or in a room where a group of people have gathered and just out of the blue, stand in front of them and say, “The reason I have gathered you all here today is..”

Today, I got that opportunity!

I applied the other day for a part-time job at a local delivery company and was scheduled for an interview this morning. When I arrived on site, there were a number of applicants vying for the same position as I. So the interviewer gathered us all in a large room and one by one, took us into their office and performed the interview.

The interviewer took each person back in the order that they had signed in at the front gate. As time went slowly by, one person exited the office and another went in. I knew that I had plenty of time as I was about the fourth from the last to sign in.

As I worked up the nerve to talk to the group waiting, I struck up conversations with those sitting close to me, but also eavesdropped on some conversations of others in earshot. I knew I was among some worldly guys and may never get the opportunity again to tell them what God has done for sinful men.

So with a shot of adrenaline, I stood in front of them and asked them their names and introduced myself to them.

With an awkward gaze, they listened to what I had to say.

My friends, sorry to interrupt you, but I wanted to share something with you before I am called back. I may not the opportunity as I probably will not be hired as I have a broken arm (then patting my brace on my arm). All of you are here because you need a job. You have bills to pay and families maybe to take care of. But I wanted to offer you something. And with grin and chuckle, I said, “Now I have gathered you all here today for.” I laughed because it was too funny. These guys must have thought I was nuts as I told them that I have always wanted to say that.

To help break the ice more and get them to feel comfortable listening to me, I told them that before I offer them something, I wanted to give a quick test. So I figured my Genius Test that I use often would suit just fine.

To one guy I asked, “Spell the word “SHOP“ out loud. What do you do when you come to a green light?” He replied with “STOP.”

To another guy I asked, “Spell the world SILK out loud. What do cows drink?” He said, “Milk.”

And another, “What is the name of the RAISED PRINTthat deaf read with?” “Braille?”He replied.

One by one, they answered incorrectly and laughed at themselves and one another when I showed them how they were wrong.

Then I shared the Good Test with them, asking them individually if they had ever lied, taken something that wasn’t theirs, or looked with lust which Jesus said was adultery. Matthew 5:38

As I finished with the sharing the Law, I found myself in the presence of liars, thieves, and adulterers.

As I moved n into the gospel, that all men must give an account to God for their sin (Romans 14:12), one young man blurted out with all you need to do is pray every day. I agreed with him to a point, you need to pray, but praying won’t save you. Sharing Hebrews 9:22 with them, I informed them that without the “shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

As I said that, the interviewer opened the door and out walked the previous applicant. I pulled out a few gospel tracts and told them I had to go, but to please read this as I handed each one a tract.

I hope this encourages you to be creative, be bold, be biblical, but take every opportunity to make God known. Share the gospel with lost people. Don’t assume people automatically know God and what He has done.

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him. Luke 22:34-36

Two things could have occurred to the men who mocked and beat Jesus as given in Luke’s account.

1. God could have destroyed these men.

These men actions against the Son of God deserved death. These men were blasphemers if there ever was one. They had blindfolded the Son of God slapped him, and used blasphemy against Him. With each punch or word, these men deserved the full blow of God’s wrath. Even the anger alone in their heart merited them the all of God’s fury & anger. Rightfully and just, God who with just a word spoke into existence all of creation, could have ended their existence on this Earth in the same manner.

2. God could have saved them.

God who is full of wrath is also equally full of love. All that took place was part of His plan. Every blow, every word, every drop of blood that was spilled had a purpose.

Long before there was anything, God predestined every blow. His plan for the things to come was already written in time. These men who beat Him, he knew them. He put them together with bones and sinews; knitted them together in their mothers womb.

He watched them grow, and even with all the affairs and events of the world, took time to count the hairs on their head. It was even He whose hands held their life.

While these men indeed deserved nothing and God also was not obligated to show any grace, it would not surprise me if we would walk with these men one day in heaven.

How do I know this?

Because like these men, I am no different. None of us are. I know if I had been alive twenty centuries ago, I feel surely that I might have been one who accused Jesus of blasphemy or yelled with zeal among the crowds the following day to crucify Him.

While like these men, deserving full well the fury, anger, & wrath of God for my crimes against Him, He sought me out. Knowing my every sin & every inclination to rebel against him, He did not crush me but drew me to Him.

And like the actions that took place this night Jesus was arrested and the night the Lord revealed Himself to me, it was for no other purpose except for His own good will and purpose.

God saves. He saves wicked men. He does so not for our benefit, but for His own glory. 2 Timothy 1:9

It is easy to sit next to a madman, a murderer and say like the Pharisee, “At least I am not like that guy!” Pertaining to the tax collector as mentioned in Luke 18:9.

We may never commit a crime that will send us to the electric chair, but we all deserve to be crushed under the wrath of God.

Everyman that breathes should be thankful for the mercy God has given them. He lets us live! With the thoughts we have had in the past day, He lets us live. It is His kindness that leads is to repentance. Romans 2:4

How amazing it is what God has done to redeem those who are rebels in His sight. Those who have committed treason under His authority, those who desire to be god themselves. He does not crush them, He makes them His own. Rebels, criminals, all of these would would hate Him, He loves them so much as to send not just a messenger, but His own Son to redeem them. John 3:16.

Jesus was mocked. God the Son. Was He being passive? No, He was being merciful. Thankful He shows us the same.

In the gospel of Luke chapter 18 verse 9, Luke begins by telling of a parable that Jesus told “specifically addressed” to those who trusted in their own self-righteousness and had a view others as looking down on them or simply despising them. Luke recounts the words of Jesus. ” Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay my tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, ”God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Not many of us will admit to being like the Pharisee, but honestly, each of us may at times be more like the Pharisee than the tax collector. Consider how the Pharisee was committed to his beliefs, he fasted twice a week, was not a robber, evil doer, or adulterer, and was faithful to give his tithes. His reputation was probably better than that of the tax collector who even in our day, is normally not a good one. In this aspect, we may resemble him as we tend to trust that our efforts and our accolades, or just the thought that our sin is not that bad as we look around and see people in open blatant sin and we say if not aloud but in our hearts, “Thank God I am not like them.

A few reasons for this mindset is our perception of sin and lack of fear of God.

Like the Pharisee who clearly knew what sin was as he thanked God that he wasn’t an adulterer or swindler, may have recognized some sin his life, but that his sin isn’t that bad. And again I note, each of us in the room I am sure acknowledges our sinfulness, but can we fall into the trap and see our sins somewhat “trivial” in ways that it is not bad enough to get us kicked off the deacon board or create some scandal.

We must consider the risk of such a nominal view of sin as to see it “in less” of a form than what “it is” truly is. That all sin is it dangerous & deceiving. That there is more hope for a baby that plays between two vipers than any man who plays with sin. We can hope that the vipers will not strike, but sin will always end in death for the one who commits it. “He who sins will surely die. “ “As the wages of sin is indeed death.” Romans 6:23

And even more than the consequence of sin, consider the one in whom all sin is committed against. Our gracious & merciful God!

King David realized this and noted in it Pslam 51 and even gives us our example of what a true repent and humble heart looks like when he was confronted of his sin by the prophet Nathan after committing adultery with Bathsheba and then murdering her husband in an attempt to cover it up.

“Against You, You only Lord, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.” Psalm 51:4

David indeed was very aware that his sin was not against man, but solely against God. That it was God that he had offended and committed an act of treason by despising the Word of God and even God Himself by his disobedience. Each one of us must question ourselves as when we sin, do we really see ‘Who’ we sin against? Do we define our sins in terms of “white lies” compared to full on deceiving someone?

Think of this. “If I lie to my daughter, consequence wise, not much will happen. If I lie to my wife, I am sleeping on the sofa, if I lie to a policeman, I go to jail. Same crime different authority.” Consider the punishment if God is the ultimate authority. What do we deserve?

The contrast between the two in this parable is evident. As I said, the Pharisee has a self-righteous view of himself and the humble tax collector was aware clearly of his unrighteousness that he doesn’t even plead for forgiveness… but for mercy. He may have had a clearer view of the gospel than that of many who profess Christ today have yet to see.

That while we are sinful and that most deserving of eternal punishment, we must realize over and over, that God does not delight in sacrifices and offering, but a broken and contrite heart. That no amount of works can save or redeem us to God. As His word states, that, “Our righteous deeds are to Him” filthy rags.” No wonder the tax collector pleaded for mercy rather than forgiveness. If God sees our righteous deeds as filthy rags, imagine how He sees our sin. Like the humble tax collector, we must take note of the holiness of God and realize the mercy he grants us… as He has not crushed us.

As we take into the account this parable and maybe sin indwelling in our lives as we indeed might be more like the Pharisee that we want to admit, we can rejoice knowing the mercy pleaded for by the tax collector is given to all men, even the Pharisee. That God in His great love does show considerable amounts of mercy toward all men as He did our brother Paul, the “chief of sinners.” Who was transformed from a persecutor of Christians to become the greatest missionary and writer of the majority of the New Testament. Who I add was much like the Pharisee before you might say Christ knocked him off his high horse.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:4-6, “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”

But after his encounter with our Lord, we can the transformation into the humbleness of the tax collector.

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” Philippians 3:7-9

It is this realization that Paul speaks of that is the gospel and that our author suggest we preach to ourselves daily. That causes us to imitate Paul and count all things loss and rubbish to that of knowing Christ. It is this gospel that transforms Pharisees, that causes tax collectors to plead for mercy and be exalted. It is this gospel of Jesus Christ that we have hope in; that the strike of serpents will not win us over to death, that Christ through his sinless life and death in obedience to the Father’s will are we justified. ; It is this gospel by whom the perfect righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ is imputed or credited to us forever. It is this gospel by which we are saved, rejecting our dependence on ourselves and trusting that by Christ blood we are once indeed free from the wages of sin and death.

My friends it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that causes us examine ourselves daily and to live a life pleasing to the Lord in this life as we will the next.

We should preach this gospel daily in our lives so that we would continually face up to our sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. That we too would know that our debt is paid and for those in Christ, we are no longer condemned, but presented to God and are now holy in His sight. Indeed all because of Christ.

To preach the gospel to yourself reminds you that you are not good, that while your sins are great, the righteousness of Christ is greater. To preach the gospel to yourself humbles you as you reflect on the cross by which Jesus did not die for His sin and wrongdoings, but that He died for yours. That He did not just die, because will not each of us die? Our Lord Jesus died bearing our transgressions and suffering the divine penalty for our sins. He was forsaken of God and crushed under the wrath of God in our place.

If this does not make us humble and beat our chest toward God, what will?

What good news this indeed is; the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! That He loves us simply because He loves us. May knowing the grace He has given to us, humble each one of us in our lives and cause us to one day be exalted with our Lord when He calls us to glory. Amen.

So that all may know Him,

David

This was written to share as a devotional at a meeting with much influence coming from other than His word and spirit, but a book called The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.

Baseball season is back in swing and so are many opportunities to share Christ with others at Riverwalk Stadium. So far for the month of April over 2,000 tracts have been distributed, an unknown number of conversations with people, and wonderful opportunities to read and preach His word have taken place there. Consider joining us on one of the dates for the month of May. Below are the dates for May 2014 that we are preparing to evangelize at the stadium. The times for the outreaches usually begin between 1 1/2 hours before the first pitch and last 30 minutes after the first pitch. Indeed, the times may change for weekend games as more people flow in and out the stadium giving more opportunities for gospel conversation.

Outreaches consist of engaging people in gospel conversations, distributing gospel tracts ( We have some of you do not), and public reading / proclamation of His word through open air preaching. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.